Technically, the right to choose the notario belongs to the buyer. If you work with us, we have notarios we know, trust, and prefer to recommend.

In practice, though, sellers facing significant capital gains taxes sometimes "shop" their sale among several notarios until they find the one offering the most favorable tax outcome. When that happens, a seller might insist on a particular notario from the moment the home is being shown — or the issue may only surface during offer negotiations.

The bottom line: while the buyer formally holds the choice, it's quite common for the selection of the notario to end up as one more point of negotiation between the parties.